A system for marketing, selling, and executing full color printing services using customer created digital graphic layout or image files, and particularly a system for use in electronic communications in which the customer can instantaneously receive a price quote.
Full color printing has been the traditional means for producing high quality color printing. In its most common form, this is a light-subtractive process in which a separate plate or mask is created for four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Thus, full color printing is also known as four-color printing or CMYK. The four colors are then used to produce full color printing. Other known full color printing systems include, but are not limited to, six-color printing, eight-color printing, and spot color printing. Typically full color printing recreates a desired image on paper using a printing press.
Many common graphic computer applications used by nonprofessionals, including but not limited to MICROSOFT WORD™ and MICROSOFT PUBLISHED™, are RGB-only graphic computer applications. RGB is a light-additive process in which red, green, and blue light is added to a palate to produce complex colors. Most RGB-only graphic computer applications do not allow images to be saved in a format that is compatible with full color printing. In fact, by definition, RGB-only graphic computer applications do not produce full color printing because they do not have an RGB to full color printing-separation module in their print engines. Most RGB-only graphic computer applications actually state explicitly that they are unable to provide files suitable for commercial full color printing. In order to have an RGB image produced on a full color printing system, the RGB image must generally be recreated on a full color printing-compatible system. This recreation generally entails additional expense and delay in producing the printed copies.
Further, even for computer software applications that do allow output to a file that is compatible with full color printing, not all process color printers are equipped to handle all types of electronic images. Accordingly, a person in a particular location may still be faced with having the image manually redrawn or otherwise converted into a format that is compatible with a particular printer's full color printing system.
The majority of printing service providers who will accept full color printing orders that are in RGB-only format are confined to primitive conversion techniques. And the vast majority of commercial print providers simply refuse to offer any services for those types of files because the conversion process cannot be done easily or economically for entire pages of complex design work such as one would get from a page layout program. The vast majority of programs on the market do not have a full color printing-separation module, and until recently, printing from these RGB programs using full color printing was either very difficult or impossible. When it was possible it entailed a variety of rather clumsy transitional stages using very expensive computer programs and techniques. And the results were often wanting in quality.
Printing services advertised over the Internet generally require that a customer submit specifications for the desired product and services using e-mail or the telephone. After the printing service provider receives the data and calculates a price quote, the printing service provider returns the price quote to the customer. This process involves delays of hours or days. Further, if the customer wants to make changes to their specifications, the lengthy process begins again. Alternatively, printing service providers post complicated pricing lists for specific products and services. These lists are limited in scope and require the customer to complete complicated computations.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a printing service that can produce full color printed materials using input from RGB-only graphic computer applications and other software applications that do not have an inherent ability to produce output in full color printing formats. Further, there exists a need for offering such services in a way that allows customers in any location to make use of them in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Finally, there exists a need for allowing customers to quickly, accurately, and repetitively determine a price quote for desired products and services.